Torn
by Twitch Hopeless-Savage
Summary: Neville witnesses the night his parents are attacked by Death Eaters, though he thinks it is all a dream.
1. Part One

Torn-  
  
"Mommy," Neville pulled at Alice Longbottom's pale blue robes, "I can't sleep." His mother looked down at him and smiled. She put down the evening paper and crouched to the floor so her eyes were level with her son's. He was holding an old teddy bear to his small chest.  
  
"Now why not?" She cooed, scooping him up into a hug, "When I checked last you had been snoring away like a hibernating bear."  
  
"Teddy had a bad dream and woke me up," Neville clutched the bear closer to him.  
  
"Really and what was Teddy's bad dream?"  
  
"He won't say, but I tried to go back to bed,"  
  
"And..." his mother teasingly pressed.  
  
"And I couldn't 'cause of the glowing light outside,"  
  
"Glowing light eh... Let's go see about that." With Neville still in her arms Alice made her way up the stairs. At the top she noticed a pale green light emitting from beneath her son's closed bedroom door.  
  
Immediately worry took her over. She put Neville down at the top of the stairs and told him to stay put. Slowly Alice shuffled down the long hallway, every step filling her mind with even more fear and apprehension.  
  
In her heart she knew what would be floating outside Neville's window, she knew what let off that haunting ghoulish light. And in her mind she knew that she didn't need to confirm it's existence. All she needed to do was grab Neville and go to the Ministry. Frank was taking a late night so she knew he would be there.  
  
Yet all good Aurors knew that to assume was to make an ASS-out of-U-and-ME, but they also knew it was better to be safe than sorry. These two thoughts contradicted each other as Alice stood outside Neville's room. Even so the little hope she had that maybe Death Eaters were not after her family ruled over causing her to lose what would soon be precious time.  
  
The door swung silently open, green light spilled forth bathing Alice in its dazzling coldness. She reluctantly stepped forward and slipped her wand out from where she kept it. The room came slowly into view as did the thing Alice had been most dreading. Staring madly at her from outside the window was a huge translucent skull floating in midair.  
  
From its jeering mouth a monstrous serpent slinked towards the house. Alice's heart stopped, her breath got caught in her throat. For the first time she knew real fear.  
  
She shut her eyes and ran from the room slamming the door shut behind her. Still the Dark Mark glowed in her mind taunting her life. Alice leaned against the closed door and began to heavily pant.  
  
Sweat trickled down her quivering face while something cold and clammy wrapped itself around her wrist. A scream ripped through her body.  
  
"EXPELLIARMUS!"  
  
The hand released its grip and the body that it was attached to was flung across the hall. A small cry emitted from the poor being that was unfortunate enough to have been upon the receiving end of the Auror's brute power. "Mommy," it whined.  
  
Alice stood there stunned as she watched Neville slam into a wall and crumple to the floor.  
  
"Neville!" She tried to run but her legs felt like they had turned to jelly. Collapsing to the floor she heard two things, one right after the other. The first was her husband shouting a welcome and the second was the doorbell.  
  
"I'll get that," Frank yelled. Alice's voice caught in her throat, terror pounded in her veins. Downstairs she heard the front door squeak open.  
  
"Hello... HOLY SHIT!"  
  
"STUPEFY!" shouted a cold, deathly voice.  
  
"Find the woman and child!" shouted a female voice.  
  
"They're not in the kitchen."  
  
"Let's check upstairs. Oh Alice, come out and play Alice. Neville too. We'd love to play with him."  
  
Alice shut out the harsh voices, but found it hard since they pushed through every thought in her head and filled it with dread and despair. She had to hide Neville, that was all she knew.  
  
Unsteadily she got to her feet and rushed over to her fallen son. His breathing was shallow and in short bursts. A stream of blood trickled down his face. Loud footsteps started to ascend the stairs. Alice raised her wand and placed a concealing charm on Neville. He all but disappeared in front of her eyes.  
  
"Stupefy!" A bolt of red light shot passed Alice's head.  
  
She stood up wand in hand and faced her attackers. Four cloaked figures stood at the head of the stairs, the one in front was holding Neville's teddy in their gloved hands.  
  
"Where's your son Alice?" it hissed, the voice taunting. Alice could see a pair of shimmering black eyes beneath the cold black mask.  
  
"Petrificus Totalus," Alice shot at the group in front of her. It hit one of them square in the face. The person fell to the ground stiff as a board.  
  
"CRUCIO!" The spell hit Alice in the stomach. Instantly pain shot through her body, her insides felt as if they were being twisted and torn. She screamed and held her wand up.  
  
"Stupefy," she moaned, falling to the floor writhing as her insides burned.  
  
Her stunner tore across the room and crashed into Neville's teddy. For a second it glowed red before bursting into a cloud of fluff and fur.  
  
The leader yelled in fright backing away. Quickly the Death Eater regained its bearings and shot Alice with a stunner. It hit her in the chest and she lay still, sprawled on the floor no longer feeling the pain that had only seconds before ripped through her body  
  
The Death Eaters moved down the hall and gathered her stunned body and brought it to the kitchen to be with her husband's. Neville laid upstairs unconscious and concealed, his teddy in pieces about him.  
  
"Search the house! Forget the boy! We have a mission to accomplish!"  
  
None of the Death Eaters noticed him as they searched the rooms for something that may indicate a clue to where their fallen Dark Lord was hidden.  
  
At face value they noticed very little information but they still held an overwhelming cauldron of secrets. The Longbottoms.  
  
Author's note: I decided to release this story in two parts. Part two will be posted soon. I hope. Well good day. 


	2. Part Two

Torn: Part 2

"NEVER!!!"

Neville heard the hysteric scream inside his head but somehow it didn't seem real.

__

It sounds like mommy but she's never afraid. Mommy is brave. The night things never scare her.

"ALICE!!!"

__

That one sounds like daddy. But it can't be daddy. Daddy never screams. He says it's rude to scream inside the house.

"Tell us what we want to know or I'll have my friend hunt down your little brat." The voice was very quiet but still carried throughout the house.

It reminded Neville of the night things. Neville didn't like the night things. They haunted his dreams and whispered to him what a bad little boy he was.

__

"If you're not good we'll have to take you to our queen. She knows what to do with bad little boys. She'll rip out your teeth one by one. And not fast either. She'll go real _slowly so that nothing is rushed. Then she'll string them around her neck and wear them as if they were lovely pearls."_

His small brown eyes snapped open. He expected to feel the soft fabric of his blanket and the rough, but comforting, fur of Teddy. Instead he was lying in the middle of the hallway.

He tried to sit up but a searing pain ripped through his side.

"Teddy," he mumbled trying to find his stuffed companion. As his eyes scanned the hall a small object bathed in an eerie green glow caught his attention.

His dragged himself over to where it lay and picked it up with his small hands. It looked like half of a marble. It had a purple coloring ringed in white.

"Just like Teddy's eye," Neville thought.

"SOMEONE HELP US!!!!!!"

There was mommy's voice. She sounded hurt more than scared now.

"No one can help you now." There was that voice again, the night thing. Neville could see it's darkened face in his mind. Coming closer to him.

__

Nightmare. The word just popped into Neville's mind. It was the word mommy used for when the night things came as he slept.

"AHH!!!!!" Daddy.

"Where is he?" The night thing hissed. They were in the kitchen. Neville could barely hear it but that was enough to cover his skin in goose pimples.

"I must be having a nightmare. I must be sleeping." That was the only explanation for the night things to be in his kitchen.

Neville looked at the marble again and screamed in fright. He couldn't see his hand. The half marble was just floating there in mid-air.

"What was that?" whispered another night thing. Neville froze.

"Go and check," snarled the leader.

"NO!!! NEVILLE!!!!!" There was his mommy's voice again.

"Stupefy!" shouted the cold voice. The house went silent.

Neville could hear his own breathing. It came in quick rapid puffs. Suddenly there was thud at the bottom of the stair.

They're coming.

Neville knew what would happen if they caught him. He could feel his teeth being wrenched from his mouth. Shivering in fear he pushed himself up to his feet. It hurt his side but it had to be done.

Suddenly a novel concept entered his mind. _"I'm invisible."_

He could easily slip around the night things. Just be quiet.

There was a low creak.

They're moving.

Suddenly a chilling voice filled the air.

"Rock-a-bye baby in the tree top."

Neville knew this song. His mother used to sing this to him when he was little. It was soothing. But not from the night thing's mouth. Now it was evil and horrid.

"When the wind blows the cradle will rock."

They were getting closer.

Neville pushed himself against the wall.

"When the bough breaks the cradle will fall."

The voice made Neville's blood run cold. But he wasn't scared, He was invisible and they would never catch him. And eventually he would wake-up in his bed and everything would be okay.

"And down will come baby, cradle and all." The voice stopped dead.

__

They're here.

Neville took in a sharp intake of breath. At the top of the stairs was a dark figure. It seemed as if anything light was lost in it. It made hardly a sound as it moved across the floor.

This was a new night thing. Neville had never seen ones like this before.

The figure turned this way and that searching every room as it slowly moved closer and closer to Neville.

As it moved it began to sing again.

"Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep."

It stopped in the glow of green light. Neville almost gasped. It had to green glowing specks for eyes.

"And doesn't know where to find them."

Neville prayed that he would stay invisible as the night thing moved passed.

"Leave them alone and they'll come home."

As soon as the night thing passed him Neville tiptoed towards the stairs.

"Wagging their tails behind them."

Neville accidentally dropped the marble. It made a small "plink" as it hit the hard wood floor.

Neville could feel that glowing glare turning on him.

His mind screamed "RUN!"

And for once Neville took its advice. He bolted for the stairs making all kinds of noise.

"HE'S INVISIBLE!" the night thing screeched. "HE'S MAKING A RUN FOR IT!"

Neville leaped to the foot of the stairs and ran for the front door. It blew open before him.

Quickly he dashed into his front yard and stopped on the front walk. In front of his window hung a giant glowing skull with a snake coming out of its mouth.

Chills covered his body and he hoped his invisibility wouldn't waver.

"He ran out this way," hissed a voice. Neville froze and turned around. Three night things emerged from his house. They spread out and began to search the bushes.

Hoping he'd wake up soon Neville ran to the neighbor's house and banged on their door.

A light turned on inside and Mrs. Gregor opened the door. "Hello is anybody there?" she said looking around.

"It's me Neville."

The woman jumped and clutched her chest.

"I'm dreaming that I'm invisible and the Night things are after me."

Mrs. Gregor held out her hand and touched Neville's shoulder. "Oh my god. Where are your parents?"

"The night things have them but that doesn't matter because it is all just a dream."

The lady went out to her walk and studied Neville's house. Her gaze fell on the Dark Mark and all the breath left her body. She began to shake uncontrollably.

"Come inside deary. Wherever you are," Mrs. Gregor said; her voice was full of fear.

"Okay," Neville hopped into the house. "But I might wake-up."

Mrs. Gregor cast one last frightful look on Neville's house and slammed shut her door.

"Marc spell every door and window in the house!" she shouted once the front door was barricaded.

"Why?" her husband walked out of the kitchen in his robe.

"There's a Dark Mark on the Longbottom's house."

Neville watched as the man's face paled. "Its okay," he cheerfully said. "It's all just a dream."

The man jumped and looked around.

"It's Neville. It seems his mother has cast disillusionment spell on him. I don't now how he escaped."

"Dear lord," Mr. Gregor muttered. Pulling out his wand he began to spell the house so that no one could get in.

"Neville come with me to the kitchen and we'll make you uninvisible."

"But I don't want to," Neville whined.

"I just sent an owl to the ministry." Mr. Gregor walked into the kitchen. "And the house is secure."

"Good," Mrs. Gregor pulled out her wand and put it on top of Neville's head. "Now hold still dear."

Neville felt like a wave of warmth spread over his body. When he looked down he wasn't invisible anymore.

"Let's move down to the basement," Mr. Gregor said and grabbed Neville's hand.

"Why are you so cold and shaky? The Night things are after me," Neville asked.

"No reason," Mr. Gregor said, though his voice was unsure and broke before he could say anything else.

A/n: Well it seems that I must split it into three parts now. Keep a look out for an update.


End file.
